JP7436834B2 - tablet splitting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet dividing device that can divide tablets one by one and supply them as half tablets.

Conventionally, Patent Document 1 describes a tablet splitting device equipped with a cutting mechanism that receives tablets fed down a tablet falling path from a tablet cassette with a pair of receiving members and cuts the tablets by sandwiching them between opposing blades. There is.

In such a tablet splitting device, tablets are fed and split one by one from a tablet cassette, but two tablets may be ejected from the tablet cassette at the same time or almost simultaneously due to external force or vibration applied to the tablet cassette. Conventionally, even if two tablets were ejected, this could not be detected, so as shown in FIG. 25, the tablets are divided while the two tablets are received by the receiving member 101. As a result, even if the first tablet is cut by the blade 102, there is a problem in that the second tablet is damaged by the blade 102 or is ejected as is, broken unevenly. The damaged tablets could not be used and were discarded. In addition, in a tablet dividing and packaging device that has a packaging unit for packaging divided tablets, the divided half tablets and one damaged tablet are packaged in the same packaging bag and provided to the patient as is. There was a risk of a medication error.

Patent No. 5627508 specification

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and provides a tablet splitting device that does not cut the second or subsequent tablets even if a plurality of tablets are supplied, and a device that can detect that a plurality of tablets are supplied. The objective is to provide a tablet splitting device that can

A tablet splitting device that splits tablets with a cutting blade,
a tablet table that supports tablets fed along the tablet support surface at predetermined dividing positions on the tablet support surface;
a pair of stop members movable between a closed position where the tips are close together to stop the tablet at the splitting position, and an open position where the tips are spaced apart to eject the tablet from the splitting position;
the pair of stop members in the closed position are arranged in a V-shape when looking at the tablet support surface in a vertical direction;
the cutting blade is disposed between the pair of stop members;
The V-shaped angle of the pair of stop members in the closed position is such that when a plurality of tablets are fed, when the first tablet is cut by the cutting blade, the second tablet is cut by the cutting blade. The angle is such that it does not touch the
a plurality of tablets detection section that detects that a plurality of tablets are supplied to the pair of stop members in the closed position , and when the plurality of tablets detection section determines that there are a plurality of tablets, When the tablet is detected, the tablet is discharged without cutting the tablet using the cutting blade .

In the present invention, the V-shaped angle of the pair of stop members in the closed position is such that when a plurality of tablets are fed, when the first tablet is cut by the cutting blade, the second tablet is Since the angle is such that it does not come into contact with the cutting blade, even if a plurality of tablets are supplied, the second and subsequent tablets will not be cut. As a result, the second and subsequent tablets can be ejected without being damaged, so they can be reused.

Preferably, the angle of the V-shape of the pair of stop members in the closed position is greater than 60°.
The angle of the V-shape of the pair of stop members is greater than 60°, in an example, 60° plus an angle corresponding to the thickness of the cutting blade, so that the second tablet is Since it is separated from the cutting blade, the second tablet will not be damaged by the cutting blade when the first tablet is cut.

The first means of the plurality of tablets detection section includes:
a plurality of light emitting means arranged parallel or obliquely to the tablet feeding direction;
a light receiving means that is disposed opposite to the plurality of light emitting means with the tablet supplied to the pair of stop members in between, and receives light from the plurality of light emitting means;
If the light receiving means does not receive light even if the light emitting means located at a position away from the tablet passes through the center of the light receiving means and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tablet supplied to the pair of stop members, and determining means for determining that there is a plurality of tablets.

The second means of the plurality of tablets detection section is
A light emitting means;
a plurality of light receiving means that face the light emitting means with the tablets supplied to the pair of stop members in between, are arranged parallel to or obliquely to the tablet feeding direction, and receive light from the light emitting means;
When the light emitting means emits light, the light receiving means located at a position away from the tablet from a tangent that passes through the center of the light emitting means and touches the outer peripheral surface of the tablet supplied to the pair of stop members does not receive light; and determining means for determining that there is a plurality of tablets.

The third means of the plurality of tablets detection section is
The multiple tablet detection unit is
tablet detection means for detecting tablets cut and discharged by the cutting blade;
ejected number counting means for counting the number of ejected tablets detected by the tablet detecting means;
and determining means for determining that there is a plurality of tablets when the number of tablets discharged is 3 or more as counted by the discharge number counting means.

Preferably, the plurality of tablets detection section includes a display section that displays an error when it is determined that there are a plurality of tablets.

According to the tablet splitting device of the present invention, when a plurality of tablets are fed, the angle of the V-shape of the pair of stop members in the closed position is set to 2 when the first tablet is cut by the cutting blade. Since the angle of each tablet is such that it does not come into contact with the cutting blade, even if a plurality of tablets are supplied, the second and subsequent tablets will not be cut. As a result, the second and subsequent tablets can be ejected without being damaged, so they can be reused.

Moreover, according to the tablet splitting device of the present invention, since it is provided with a plurality of tablets detection section that detects that a plurality of tablets have been supplied to the pair of stop members, it is possible to detect that a plurality of tablets have been supplied. This can prevent the tablets from being damaged by cutting a plurality of ejected tablets with a cutting blade, and the risk of splitting the tablets into half-tablets and damaged tablets.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view (a) of the tablet dividing device of the present invention as seen diagonally from above from the front, and a perspective view (b) as seen from diagonally from above from the rear. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tablet dividing portion seen diagonally from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tablet dividing portion seen diagonally from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper cutter section as seen diagonally from the front. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper cutter section as seen diagonally from the rear. A perspective view of the slide block seen from above. A perspective view of the slide block seen from below. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drive mechanism of the tablet table. A perspective view of a pill table. A perspective view of a tablet supply shooter, a tablet discharge shooter, and a tablet table. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism for a stopper of a tablet table. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tablet table showing the closed position (a) and the open position (b) of the stopper of the tablet table. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a pair of stoppers on the tablet table. FIG. 13(a) is a diagram showing an interference state between a tablet and a pair of stoppers, and FIG. 13(b) is a partially enlarged diagram of FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a modification of a pair of stoppers on the tablet table. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another modification of the pair of stoppers of the tablet table. A perspective view of the lower cutter section. FIG. 2 is a plan view (a) of a tablet table showing a first embodiment of a plurality of tablets detection unit, and a cross-sectional view (b) showing a positional relationship between a light emitting element and a light receiving element. FIG. 6 is a plan view (a) of a tablet table showing a second embodiment of the multiple tablet detection unit, and a cross-sectional view (b) showing the positional relationship between a light emitting element and a light receiving element. FIG. 6 is a plan view (a) of a tablet table showing a third embodiment of a plurality of tablets detection unit, and a cross-sectional view (b) showing the positional relationship between a light emitting element and a light receiving element. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a fourth embodiment of a multiple tablet detection unit. A sectional view of a tablet dividing part. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the tablet dividing section. FIG. 23A is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the tablet dividing section following FIG. 23A. FIG. 1 is a front view of a tablet packaging machine including a tablet dividing device. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a dividing section of a conventional tablet dividing device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a tablet splitting device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tablet dividing device 1 includes a tablet supply section 2 and a tablet dividing section 3. The tablet supply section 2 is detachably provided on the front surface of a main body frame 5 provided perpendicularly to the main body base 4. The tablet dividing section 3 is provided obliquely on the back surface of the main body frame 5. In the tablet dividing device 1, a tablet supplied from a tablet supply section 2 is divided into half tablets by a tablet dividing section 3, and the half tablets are discharged onto a tray 6 on a main body base 4.

The tablet supply unit 2 is capable of storing tablets and dispensing the necessary number of tablets, but in this embodiment, the first rotating body and the second rotating body can dispense tablets one by one. It is a tablet cassette, and the details are described in International Publication WO2015/041220, so the description will be omitted here. As described in Japanese Patent No. 6222414, the tablet supply section 2 can rotate a rotor having a tablet guide groove to dispense tablets one by one, and can also dispense tablets one by one according to the shape and size of the tablets. A universal tablet cassette whose size of the tablet guide groove can be adjusted may be installed, or a normal tablet cassette that is not a universal type may be installed.

2 and 3 show the tablet dividing section 3 of the tablet dividing device 1. As shown in FIG. As described above, the tablet dividing part 3 is arranged diagonally with respect to the main body frame 5, but in the drawings from FIG. 2 onward, it is shown vertically for convenience.

The tablet dividing section 3 roughly consists of a frame 10, an upper cutter section 20, a tablet table 50, and a lower cutter section 70.

<Frame>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame 10 is formed into a frame shape by an upper plate 11, a lower plate 12, a left plate 13, and a right plate 14, and has a middle plate 15 between the upper plate 11 and the lower plate 12. are doing. As shown in FIG. 2, the middle plate 15 is formed with a through hole 16 through which the upper blade holder 22 of the upper cutter section 20 advances and retreats when going up and down.

<Upper cutter section>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper cutter section 20 includes a slide block 21, an upper blade holder 22, a tablet guide 23, a cam section 24 as an upper blade elevating mechanism, and a drive section 25.

As shown in FIG. 6, the slide block 21 is elastically supported on the middle plate 15 via a first coil spring 26. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, the slide block 21 is slidable along a slide shaft 27 provided between the upper plate 11 and the middle plate 15. A pair of rollers 28 that serve as followers of a pair of first cams 37, which will be described later, are attached to the slide block 21.

As shown in FIG. 7, the upper blade holder 22 is integrally attached to the lower surface of the slide block 21 and has a shape that allows it to go in and out of the through hole 16 of the middle plate 15. The upper blade 30 is attached to the upper blade holder 22 so that the cutting edge protrudes downward and is parallel to the tablet path 60. Furthermore, tablet holding members 31 made of plate springs are attached to the upper blade holder 22 to press the tablets toward the tablet table 50 on both sides of the upper blade 30.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tablet guide 23 is attached to the side surface of the slide block 21 on the tablet supply side by a guide bracket 32 and a guide fixture 33. The guide bracket 32 has an inverted L shape and is attached to the upper surface of the slide block 21 with its vertical portion facing the tablet supply side. The guide fixture 33 has an L-shape, and is slidably engaged with the guide bracket 32 in the vertical direction so that its vertical part overlaps the vertical part of the guide bracket 32. The tablet guide 23 is fixed to the horizontal portion of the guide fixture 33 and extends along the tablet path 60. The tablet guide 23 is urged downward by a coil spring 34 provided between the guide bracket 32 and the guide fixture 33.

The coil spring 34 allows the guide fixture 33 and the tablet guide 23 to escape upward when the tablet guide 23 comes into contact with the tablet supply shooter 58 due to the descent of the slide block 21 during tablet division. Further, the tablet guide 23 is arranged to face a tablet supply chute 58, which will be described later, so that the tablets falling on the tablet supply chute 58 are supplied onto the tablet table 50 in a lying state with a changed position. The distance between the tablet guide 23 and the tablet supply chute 58 is formed to gradually narrow from the upstream side to the downstream side. The distance between the tablet guide 23 and the tablet supply shooter 58 is adjusted by changing the height of the tablet guide 23 depending on the thickness of the tablet. The height of the tablet guide 23 can be changed by rotating the first cam 37 and adjusting the height of the slide block 21.

Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the cam portion 24 constituting the upper blade lifting mechanism is mounted on a horizontally extending camshaft 36 rotatably attached to the left plate 13 and right plate 14 of the frame 10 via bearings 35. It has a pair of first cams 37, a pair of second cams 38, a drive gear 39, and a sensor dog 40. The first cam 37 contacts the pair of rollers 28 of the slide block 21 and moves the slide block 21 up and down. The second cam 38 comes into contact with rollers 62 of a pair of table pushers 52 that press a tablet table 50, which will be described later, and moves the tablet table 50 up and down. In this way, since the first cam 37 and the second cam 38 are provided on the camshaft 36 which is a common drive shaft, the vertical positions of the upper blade 30 and the tablet table 50 can be accurately determined. Note that the sensor dog 40 is for detecting the upper limit position and lower limit position of the upper blade 30 using sensors 41a and 41b. The bracket 29 attached to the slide block 21 is pushed up by the first cam 37 to raise the slide block 21 even if the first coil spring 26 is compressed and hardened due to clogging or the like. It is for.

As shown in FIG. 23A(a), the first cam 37 has a first curved surface 37a with a radius r1 from the axis from point a, which is the origin, to point b, and a point c, which is 180 degrees away from point a from point b. A second curved surface 37b whose radius from the axis gradually increases from point c to point d, a third curved surface 37c whose radius from the axis from point c to point d is r2 (r2>r1), and a radius from the axis from point d to point a. has a fourth curved surface 37d that gradually decreases. In addition, the second cam 38 has a first curved surface 38a having a radius r3 from the axis from point e to point f, and a radius from the axis from point f to point g, which is 180° away from point e, gradually increases. It has a second curved surface 38b, a third curved surface 38c with a radius r4 (r4>r3) from point g to point h, and a fourth curved surface 38d whose radius from the axis from point h to point e gradually decreases. are doing. The first cam 37 and the second cam 38 rotate clockwise in FIG. 23A(a). Point a of the first cam is advanced by 15 degrees from point e of the second cam.

Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive section 25 that constitutes the upper blade lifting mechanism transfers the rotational force of the motor 42 attached to the upper plate 11 of the frame 10 from the motor gear 43 to the cam section 24 via the intermediate gear 44. The signal is transmitted to the drive gear 39 to rotate the camshaft 36.

<Tablet table>
As shown in FIG. 8, the tablet table 50 has a pair of slide guides 51. The table elevating mechanism includes the table pusher 52, the aforementioned cam portion 24, and the drive portion 25. The tablet table 50 further includes a pair of stoppers 53, which are a pair of stop members of the present invention, and a stopper drive section 54, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, a triangular tablet support surface 50a is provided on the upper surface of the tablet table 50 one step higher. A slit 50b is formed in the center of the tablet support surface 50a, through which a lower blade 72 of a lower cutter section 70 (described later) passes when the tablet table 50 moves up and down. Furthermore, a protrusion 50c is formed on the upper surface of the tablet table 50, with which the tips of a pair of stoppers 53, which will be described later, come into contact.

A pair of slide guides 51 are provided on both sides of the lower surface of the tablet table 50 and are elastically supported on the lower plate 12 via a second coil spring 55. Further, a guide shaft 56 provided between the middle plate 15 and the lower plate 12 passes through the pair of slide guides 51, and is slidable along the guide shaft 56. A spacer 57 is attached to a guide shaft 56 between the tablet table 50 and the middle plate 15 to maintain the tablet table 50 at a predetermined height.

As shown in FIG. 10, a tablet supply chute 58 is provided on the tablet supply side of the tablet table 50 for guiding the tablets supplied from the tablet supply section 2 to the tablet support surface 50a, and a tablet supply chute 58 is provided on the tablet discharge side of the tablet table 50. , a tablet ejection shooter 59 is provided. A tablet path 60 is formed from the tablet supply chute 58 through the tablet support surface 50a of the tablet table 50 to the tablet ejection chute 59. The tablet ejection shooter 59 is provided with a tablet detection sensor 61 that detects divided tablets.

Returning to FIG. 8, the table pusher 52 of the table elevating mechanism has a lower end fixed to both sides of a pair of slide guides 51, an upper end extending above the tablet table 50, and a cam passing through the middle plate 15. It extends below the camshaft 36 of the section 24 . A roller 62 is provided at the upper end of the table pusher 52, and the roller 62 faces the second cam 38 of the cam portion 24.

The second cam 38 of the cam section 24, the drive gear 39 of the drive section 25, the motor 42 and motor gear 43, and the intermediate gear 44, which have already been described, constitute a table lifting mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 11, the pair of stoppers 53 are rotatably attached to support shafts 63 provided on both sides of the tablet support surface 50a on the upper surface of the tablet table 50. As shown in FIG. 12(a), the pair of stoppers 53 have two positions: one in which the tips are close to each other to close the tablet path 60 and stop the tablet at the dividing position, and the other in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 12(b). The tips are spaced apart to open the tablet path 60 and are pivotable to an open position for ejecting the tablet. The pair of stoppers 53 has an arm 64 extending toward the tablet ejection side at the other end. As shown in FIG. 11, each arm 64 has a long hole 64a formed therein.

The stopper drive unit 54 that drives the pair of stoppers 53 includes a motor 65 and a drive pin 66 that is provided eccentrically to the drive shaft of the motor 65 and inserted into the elongated hole 64a of the arm 64. Driven by the motor 65, the drive pin 66 rotates the pair of arms 64 around the support shaft 63, and the pair of stoppers 53 moves between the closed position and the open position. A sensor dog 67 is provided at the tip of the arm 64, and by detecting the sensor dog 67 with an arm sensor 68, it is possible to detect that the stopper 53 is in the closed position.

A protrusion 53a protruding toward the tablet supply side is provided near the support shaft 63 of the pair of stoppers 53. The protruding portion 53a is configured to come into sliding contact with the inclined portion 69a of the arm guide 69 attached to the lower plate 12 when the tablet table 50 is lowered, so as to slightly open the pair of stoppers 53 around the support shaft 63. has been done. This is to slightly open the stopper 53 in order to prevent the tablet from being crushed by the thickness of the blade when the blade is inserted into the tablet held between the pair of stoppers 53. Instead of opening the stopper 53 by the arm guide 69, the gap between the pair of stoppers 53 may be widened by the bending of the stopper 53 itself when the blade is inserted into the tablet.

As shown in FIG. 13, the pair of stoppers 53 are arranged in a V-shape when looking at the tablet support surface 50a from the vertical direction, and the upper blade 30 and lower blade A blade 72 (not shown) is arranged. The angle α of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 in the closed position is such that when a plurality of tablets are supplied, when the first tablet is cut by the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72, the second tablet is cut. The angle is such that it does not come into contact with the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72.

When the angle α of the pair of stoppers 53 is 60°, the edge of the second tablet is on the center line of the pair of stoppers 53, as shown in FIG. Since 1/2 of the tablet overlaps the tablet, a portion of the tablet is cut and damaged by the upper blade 30. In order to prevent this, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the angle α of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 is set at an angle larger than 60 degrees, specifically, from 60 degrees to the thickness of the upper blade 30 on one side. Expand by an angle equivalent to 1/2 of t. That is, the angle α of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 is greater than or equal to 60° plus an angle corresponding to the thickness t of the upper blade 30. If the angle α is too large, the stability of the first tablet will not deteriorate, so it is preferably 65° to 75°.

By setting the angle α of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 in this way, a plurality of tablets that are circular (for example, disk-shaped, or convex on at least one of the upper surface or the lower surface) in plan view are supplied and one pair of tablets is supplied. When the tablet stops at the stopper 53, the first tablet is cut, but the second and subsequent tablets are not cut and are ejected without being damaged. Therefore, the ejected second and subsequent tablets can be returned to the tablet supply unit 2 and reused. Note that the fact that the tablet has stopped at the pair of stoppers 53 can be determined by the fact that a certain period of time has elapsed since the optical sensor provided in the middle of the tablet path 60 detected the tablet passing through the tablet path 60. .

The slope forming the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 may be a straight line as shown in FIG. A combination of a convex curve 53x and a concave curve 53y as shown in (b) may be used. In this case, the curves 53x and 53y with which the second tablet touches need only be outside the tangent at the point where the first tablet touches (indicated by a one-dot chain line in the figure), and can be circular arcs or quadratic curves. can.

Further, the slope forming the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 is a combination of a straight line 53s and a straight line 53t (broken line) as shown in FIG. A combination of a curve 53x or a combination of a straight line 53s and a concave curve 53y as shown in FIG. 16(c) may be used. In the case of a combination of the straight line 53s and the straight line 53t or the curves 53x and 53y, the straight line 53s that is closer to the center _V0 of the V-shape contacts the first tablet of the smallest tablet handled by the tablet splitting device 1, and the center of the V-shape It is preferable to form the second tablet so that it contacts the straight line 53t or the curves 53x, 53y that are farther from _V0 . Further, the angle of the V-shape formed by the straight line 53s is preferably smaller than the angle of the V-shape formed by the straight line 53t and the curves 53x and 53y so that the tablet can be stably held. On the other hand, the straight line 53t and the curves 53x, 53y are provided outside the extension line of the straight line 53s (indicated by the dashed line in the figure), so that the angle of the V-shape is 60° or more. can be prevented from contacting the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72.

<Lower cutter section>
As shown in FIG. 17, the lower cutter section 70 includes a lower blade holder 71 attached to the lower plate 12 of the frame 10, and a lower blade 72 attached to the lower blade holder 71. The lower blade 72 fits into the slit 50b of the tablet table 50 and faces the upper blade 30.

<Multiple tablet detection section>
The tablets supplied from the tablet supply section 2 are supplied one by one to the divided positions of the tablet support surface 50a, but due to vibrations or external forces applied to the tablet supply section 2, two tablets may be ejected at the same time or almost simultaneously. When two tablets are ejected, the upper blade 30 and lower blade 72 cut the first tablet and damage the second tablet, as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, the tablet table 50 is provided with a multiple tablet detection section 80 that detects that a plurality of tablets have been supplied from the tablet supply section 2.

(First embodiment of multiple tablet detection unit)
FIG. 18 shows a first embodiment of the multiple tablet detection section 80. A plurality of light emitting elements 81 are provided on the pair of stoppers 53 at predetermined intervals from the center V ₀ of the V shape toward both ends obliquely in the tablet feeding direction. Further, a light receiving element 82 is provided on the center line of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 so as to face the plurality of light emitting elements 81 with the tablet in between, and receiving light from the plurality of light emitting elements 81. There is.

It is preferable that the plurality of light emitting elements 81 are LED tape lights in which a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in parallel. As shown in FIG. 18(b), the plurality of light emitting elements 81 are exposed to light from the holes 83 formed in the tablet contacting surfaces of the pair of stoppers 53 each having an inverted L-shaped cross section, and the light receiving elements 82 It is preferable that the device be mounted so that the light is received by the user.

The light receiving element 82 is preferably made of a phototransistor, a photodiode, etc., and is attached to the tablet guide 23 above the tablet table 50.

Although the number of the plurality of light emitting elements 81 is six in the example, it is not limited to this. No. closest to the center _V0 of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53. 1 light-emitting element 81 is configured such that when the smallest tablet (indicated by a two-dot chain line) handled by the tablet dividing device 1 is stopped by a pair of stoppers 53, the light-receiving element 82 cannot receive the light from the light-emitting element 81. Placed. The second no. The second light emitting element 81 is arranged so that the light receiving element 82 can receive the light from the light emitting element 81 when the smallest tablet handled by the tablet dividing device 1 is stopped by the pair of stoppers 53. The third and subsequent light emitting elements 81 are arranged at the same interval as the interval between the first and second light emitting elements 81.

The plurality of light emitting elements 81 and light receiving elements 82 are connected to a control section 85 which is a determining means. When a tablet is supplied from the tablet supply section 2 and stopped at the pair of stoppers 53, the control section 85 controls the _No. The two light emitting elements 81 are made to emit light alternately. Actually, various tablets are stored in the tablet supply section 2, so the light emitting element 81 to emit light is determined according to the outer diameter of the tablet. That is, the light emitting element 81 located outside the tangent L passing through the center of the light receiving element 82 and touching the outer peripheral surface of the tablet is caused to emit light.

When the light receiving element 82 receives the light from the second left and right light emitting elements 81, the control unit 85 determines that only one tablet has been supplied, and performs a tablet cutting operation. However, if the light-receiving element 82 does not receive any of the light from the second left and right light-emitting elements 81, the control unit 85 determines that there are two tablets supplied, and displays a message on the display unit 86 indicating that “cutting is not possible.” ”, and the pair of stoppers 53 are opened to eject the two tablets without cutting the tablets. When this error message is displayed, the user can take out the uncut tablets from the tray 6 and return them to the tablet feeding device for reuse.

(Second embodiment of multiple tablet detection unit)
FIG. 19 shows a second embodiment of the multiple tablet detection unit 80. The pair of stoppers 53 is made of a transparent synthetic resin having light-transmitting properties, such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin. A light emitting element 81 and a plurality of light receiving elements 82 that receive light from the light emitting element 81 are arranged outside the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53, sandwiching the pair of stoppers 53 and the tablet.

The light emitting element 81 is made of a light emitting diode (LED), and is mounted on the tablet table 50 outside the movable range of the pair of stoppers 53, as shown in FIG. 19(b).

The plurality of light receiving elements 82 are composed of phototransistors, photodiodes, etc., and are arranged parallel to the tablet feeding direction, as shown in FIG. mounted on top.

Although the number of the plurality of light receiving elements 82 is six in the embodiment, the number is not limited to this. No. closest to the center _V0 of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53. The one light-receiving element 82 is arranged so that it cannot receive the light from the light-emitting element 81 when the smallest tablet (indicated by the two-dot chain line) handled by the tablet dividing device 1 is stopped by the pair of stoppers 53. The second light-receiving element 82 is arranged so that it can receive the light from the light-emitting element 81 when the smallest tablet handled by the tablet splitting device 1 stops at the pair of stoppers 53 . The third and subsequent light receiving elements 82 are arranged at the same spacing as the spacing between the first and second light receiving elements 81.

The light emitting element 81 and the plurality of light receiving elements 82 are connected to a control section 85 which is a determining means. The control unit 85 causes the light emitting element 81 to emit light when a tablet is supplied from the tablet supply unit 2 and stopped at the pair of stoppers 53 . It is determined whether or not the light receiving element 82 (No. 3) next to the light receiving element 82 (No. 1 and No. 2) which cannot receive light from the light emitting element 81 due to the size of the supplied tablet receives the light. Actually, since various tablets are accommodated in the tablet supply section 2, the light receiving element 82 that receives light is determined according to the outer diameter of the tablet. That is, it is determined whether the light receiving element 82 located above the tangent L passing through the center of the light emitting element 81 and touching the outer peripheral surface of the tablet has received light.

No. When the third light receiving element 82 receives light, the control unit 85 determines that only one tablet has been supplied, and performs a tablet cutting operation. However, No. If the third light-receiving element 82 does not receive light, the control unit 85 determines that two tablets have been supplied, displays an error message such as "unable to cut" on the display unit 86, and performs a tablet cutting operation. Instead, the pair of stoppers 53 are opened to eject the two tablets. When this error message is displayed, the user can take out the uncut tablets from the tray 6 and return them to the tablet feeding device for reuse.

(Third embodiment of multiple tablet detection unit)
FIG. 20 shows a third embodiment of the multiple tablet detection unit 80. The tablet table 50 is made of a transparent synthetic resin having light-transmitting properties, such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin. Inside the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53, a light emitting element 81 and a plurality of light receiving elements 82 that receive light from the light emitting element 81 are arranged with the tablet in between.

It is preferable that the plurality of light emitting elements 81 are LED tape lights in which a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in parallel. As shown in FIG. 20(b), the plurality of light emitting elements 81 are arranged obliquely in the tablet feeding direction, and are attached so that the light passes through the tablet table 50 and is received by the light receiving element 82.

The light receiving element 82 is preferably made of a phototransistor, a photodiode, etc., and is attached to the tablet guide 23 above the tablet table 50.

Although the number of the plurality of light emitting elements 81 is five in the embodiment, the number is not limited to this. No. closest to the center _V0 of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53. 1 light-emitting element 81 is configured such that when the smallest tablet (indicated by a two-dot chain line) handled by the tablet dividing device 1 is stopped by a pair of stoppers 53, the light-receiving element 82 cannot receive the light from the light-emitting element 81. Placed. The second no. The second light emitting element 81 is arranged so that the light receiving element 82 can receive the light from the light emitting element 81 when the smallest tablet handled by the tablet dividing device 1 is stopped by the pair of stoppers 53. The third and subsequent light emitting elements 81 are arranged at the same interval as the interval between the first and second light emitting elements 81.

The plurality of light emitting elements 81 and light receiving elements 82 are connected to a control section 85 which is a determining means. When a tablet is supplied from the tablet supply section 2 and stopped at the pair of stoppers 53, the control section 85 controls the No. The light emitting elements 81 located outside 3 are caused to emit light alternately.

No. When the light receiving element 82 receives both the light from the left and right light emitting elements 81 of No. 3, the control unit 85 determines that only one tablet has been supplied, and performs a tablet cutting operation. However, if the light-receiving element 82 does not receive any of the light from the second left and right light-emitting elements 81, the control unit 85 determines that there are two tablets supplied, and displays a message on the display unit 86 indicating that “cutting is not possible.” ”, and the pair of stoppers 53 are opened to eject the two tablets without cutting the tablets.

(Fourth embodiment of multiple tablet detection unit)
FIG. 21 shows a fourth embodiment of the multiple tablet detection section 80. The control section 85, which is a determining means, has a discharge number counting section 87. The ejected number counting unit 87 calculates the number N of tablets ejected from the pair of stoppers 53 based on a tablet detection signal from a tablet detection sensor 61 that is provided on the tablet ejection shooter 59 and includes a light emitting element 61a and a light receiving element 61b. Count.

After performing the tablet cutting operation and opening the pair of stoppers 53, the control unit 85 determines that one tablet has been supplied and two half tablets have been discharged if the number N of tablets to be discharged is 2. , feed and cut the next tablet. If N is 3 or more, it is determined that two or more tablets have been supplied, one has been cut into half tablets, and the rest have not been cut, and an error message such as "multiple tablets" is displayed on the display section 86. Do the following. When this error message is displayed, the user can take out the uncut tablets from the tray 6 and return them to the tablet feeding device for reuse.

<Operation of tablet splitting device>
Next, the operation of the tablet dividing device 1 having the above configuration will be explained.
First, the tablet supply unit 2 stores tablets to be divided and is in a state where the tablets can be discharged one by one. Further, as shown in FIG. 22, in the cam part 24 of the tablet dividing part 3, the origin a of the first cam 37 is located directly below, the point c is located directly above, and the slide block 21 is located at the The roller 28 is biased by the first coil spring 26 and contacts the point a of the first cam 37, so that the upper blade 30 is separated from the lower blade 72. Further, the tablet table 50 is urged upward by the second coil spring 55 and comes into contact with the middle plate 15 via the spacer 57, thereby stopping at a predetermined position. Furthermore, the stopper 53 of the tablet table 50 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 12(a). The lower blade 72 is located within the slit 50b of the tablet table 50 and below the tablet support surface 50a.

In this standby state, the tablet supply unit 2 is activated and the tablets are sequentially dispensed one by one. The tablets T discharged from the tablet supply section 2 pass through the tablet supply shooter 58, move on the tablet table 50, come into contact with a pair of stoppers 53 in the closed position, and stop on the tablet support surface 50a. Since the pair of stoppers 53 in the closed position are closed in a V-shape with respect to the tablet path 60, the tablet T can be reliably stopped at the divided position of the tablet support surface 50a.

Even if two tablets are discharged from the tablet supply unit 2, the angle of the V-shape of the pair of stoppers 53 is such that when the first tablet is cut by the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72, the second tablet is Since the angle is such that the second tablet does not come into contact with the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72, specifically, 60° or more, the second tablet will not be damaged by the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72.

Further, when two tablets are discharged from the tablet supply section 2 and stopped at a pair of stoppers 53, the aforementioned plural tablet detection section 80 displays on the display section 86 that a plurality of tablets have been supplied. and no cutting operation is performed.

When the tablet stops at the pair of stoppers 53, the cam section 24 is rotationally driven by the motor 42 of the tablet dividing section 3, and the first cam 37 and the second cam 38 rotate clockwise in FIG. 22. As shown in FIG. 23A(a), until the point b of the first cam 37 reaches the lowest point, the first curved surface 37a contacts the roller 28, so the upper blade 30 does not move and is higher than the tablet T. in position. As point c of the first cam 37, which was at the highest point, moves downward, the roller 28 is pushed downward by the second curved surface 37b, and the slide block 21 descends against the biasing force of the first coil spring 26. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 23A(b), the tablet T is pressed against the tablet support surface 50a from both sides of the upper blade 30 by the tablet holding member 31, the upper blade 30 descends and comes into contact with the tablet T, and the tablet table 50 is pushed down by the upper blade 30 through the tablet T, the lower blade 72 coming out of the slit 50b comes into contact with the tablet T, and the tablet T is sandwiched between the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72.

When the upper blade 30 further descends, the tablet T is cut into the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72 and divided, as shown in FIG. 23B(c). Here, since the tablet table 50 is urged upward by the second coil spring 55, the tablet table 50 is in contact with the tablet T from below from before division until the completion of division, so that the posture of the tablet T is stabilized. , evenly divided.

Note that even if point c of the first cam 37 is directly below, the cutting edge of the upper blade 30 does not come into contact with the lower blade 72. Therefore, when the tablet table 50 is lowered, there is no need to control the positions of the upper and lower blades 30 and 72 to bring them as close as possible. Further, the tablet supporting surface 50a is a sloped surface that slopes downward as it becomes farther away from both sides of the lower blade 72, so that the tablet T divided by the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72 is a sloped tablet. Since the tablet T is tilted along the support surface 50a and the dividing surface of the tablet T is opened, the divided tablet will not be pulverized and the division will be smooth.

Until the point c of the first cam 37 passes the lowest point and the point d reaches the lowest point, the third curved surface 37c contacts the roller 28, so the upper blade 30 does not move to the position where the tablet T is cut. is maintained. While the third curved surface 37c of the first cam 37 is in contact with the roller 28, the second curved surface 38b of the second cam 38 is in contact with the roller 62 of the table pusher 52, and the second curved surface 38b causes the roller 62 to move downward. The tablet table 50 is pushed down against the biasing force of the second coil spring 55. The tablet T on the tablet support surface 50a of the tablet table 50 descends together with the tablet table 50 while being pressed by the tablet pressing member 31. As a result, the lower blade 72 bites into the tablet T more, and the tablet T is cut into the tablet T from below by the lower blade 72, as shown in FIG. 23B(d). Until point g of the second cam 38 passes the lowest point and point h reaches the lowest point, the third curved surface 38c contacts the roller 62, so the tablet table 50 does not descend and the lower blade 72 does not move. The position where the tablet T was cut is maintained without cutting.

In this way, the upper blade 30 is moved toward the lower blade 72, the tablet is sandwiched between the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72, the tablet T is cut without the blade edges touching, and the tablet table 50 is moved toward the lower blade 72. Since the tablet T is moved and pressed against the lower blade 72 and further cut into the tablet T to divide the tablet T, even if there is a gap between the cutting edges of the upper blade 30 and the lower blade 72, The tablet T can be divided by. Therefore, there is no damage to the blade due to contact between the cutting edges, and there is no scattering of fragments due to the small number of cuts.

While the tablet table 50 is being lowered, the protrusion 53a of the tablet table 50 shown in FIG. Thereby, the tablet T that floated from the tablet support surface 50a when the tablet table 50 is lowered can be returned to the tablet support surface 50b. In addition, by opening the upper blade 30 that has bitten into the tablet T or more, it is possible to prevent the tablet T from being compressed by the upper blade 30 and the pair of stoppers 53 and broken when the upper blade 30 bites into the tablet T. This can be prevented, and the upper blade 30 can easily enter the tablet T sandwiched between the pair of stoppers 53.

In FIG. 23B(d), when the point d of the first cam 37 passes the lowest point, the fourth curved surface 37d moves away from the roller 28, so the slide block 21 moves toward the first curved surface while the roller 28 follows the fourth curved surface 37d. It rises due to the biasing force of the coil spring 26. Further, when the point f of the second cam 38 passes the lowest point, the fourth curved surface 38d moves away from the roller 62, so the tablet table 50 rises due to the urging force of the second coil spring 55, and the lower blade 72 moves toward the tablet table. 50 into the slit 50b. This returns to the state shown in FIG. 23A(a).

When it is detected that the cam part 24 has rotated once, the pair of arms 64 are pushed in the opening direction by the stopper drive part 54, and the pair of stoppers 53 are moved to the open position as shown in FIG. 12(b). . As a result, the tablet path 60 opens, and the divided tablets T on the tablet table 50 slide off the tablet table 50 due to their own weight and fall from the tablet ejection shooter 59 onto the tray 6. The tablet T is detected by the tablet detection sensor 61 while falling through the tablet ejection shooter 59 . When it is detected that the tablet T has been ejected, the pair of stoppers 53 returns to the closed position.

The pair of stoppers 53 may be moved and opened at the same time, but it is preferable to open one at a time. That is, one stopper 53 is opened when the lower blade 72 is out of the tablet table 50, only the half tablet between the opened stopper 53 and the lower blade 72 is ejected, and then the other stopper 53 is opened. , eject the remaining half tablet. By dispensing the tablets T half-tablet by half in this manner, the number of half-tablets dispensed can be detected by the tablet detection sensor 61.

When the division of the tablet T is completed by the above operation, the next tablet is supplied from the tablet supply section 2 to the tablet division section 3, and by repeating the same operation, the required number of tablets T is divided and placed on the tray 6. can be paid out.

FIG. 24 shows a tablet packaging machine 90 equipped with the tablet dividing device 1 of the embodiment. The tablet packaging machine 90 includes a plurality of tablet cassettes 92 removably attached to each of a large number of motor bases 91 arranged in the form of shelves, and a plurality of universal cassettes 92 having the same configuration as the tablet feeding section 2 of the tablet dividing device 1 of the embodiment described above. This device is equipped with a cassette 93, receives a plurality of tablets discharged from a tablet cassette 92 or a universal cassette 93 according to a prescription in a hopper 94, and packages the tablets into packaging papers 96 by a packaging section 95.

The tablet dividing device 1 of the embodiment described above is attached to the side of the tablet packaging machine 90. The tablet discharging chute 59 of the tablet dividing section 3 of the tablet dividing device 1 has a dividing passage 59a for discharging divided tablets diagonally downward and introducing them into a hopper 94 of a tablet packaging machine 90, and a dividing passage 59a for discharging divided tablets diagonally downward and introducing the divided tablets downward. It branches into a discharge path 59b for dropping and discharging onto the tray 6. The packaging path 59a and the discharge path 59b can be switched by a switching valve 74.

If a prescription contains two types of tablets to be packaged in half-tablets, for example, if tablets B and C are half-tablets among tablets A, B, and C, the first type of tablet B is stored first. The tablet B is taken out from the tablet cassette 92B and stored in the tablet supply section 2 of the tablet splitting device 1, the switching valve 74 is switched to the discharge path 59b side, the tablet splitting device 1 is operated, and the tablet B is divided into half tablets. It is divided into two parts and discharged onto the tray 6. The half-tablet B discharged onto the tray 6 is stored in a universal cassette 93. Subsequently, the tablet C is taken out from the tablet cassette 92C containing the second type of tablet C and stored in the tablet supply section 2 of the tablet splitting device 1, and the switching valve 74 is switched to the packaging path 59a side.

Next, the tablet cassette 92A containing the tablet A, the universal cassette 93 containing the half-tablet B, and the tablet splitter 1 containing the tablet C are operated simultaneously to eject the tablet from the tablet cassette 92A. The hopper 94 collects the tablets A, the half-tablets B discharged from the universal cassette 93, and the half-tablets C divided into half-tablets by the tablet dividing device 1 and discharged through the packaging path 59a. Then, the packaging section 95 wraps it in a packaging paper 96.

In this way, while the tablet is divided into half tablets by the tablet splitting device 1, the tablets can be packaged together with the tablets housed in the tablet cassette 92A and the universal cassette 93. 93 is saved, and the tablets can be quickly divided and packaged.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. For example, although the cutting blade in the embodiment described above has a cutting edge parallel to the tablet on the tablet table, it can be inclined to the tablet. Since the slanted cutting edge hits the tablet at a point and cuts into it, the impact is weak and the power can be reduced. Further, the cutting blades are not limited to those that face each other vertically, but may also be configured so that they face each other horizontally.

1...Tablet splitting device 2...Tablet supply section 3...Tablet splitting section 30...Upper blade (cutting blade)
50...Tablet table 50a...Tablet support surface 59...Tablet discharge shooter 61...Tablet detection sensor 53...Pair of stoppers (stopping member)
72...Lower blade (cutting blade)
80...Multiple tablet detection unit 81...Light emitting element (light emitting means)
82... Light receiving element (light receiving means)
83...hole 85...control unit (judgment means)
86... Display part 87... Tablet number counting part 88... Cutting number counting part 90... Tablet packaging machine 92... Tablet cassette 93... Universal cassette

Claims (6)

A tablet splitting device that splits tablets with a cutting blade,
a tablet table that supports tablets fed along the tablet support surface at predetermined dividing positions on the tablet support surface;
a pair of stop members movable between a closed position where the tips are close together to stop the tablet at the splitting position, and an open position where the tips are spaced apart to eject the tablet from the splitting position;
the pair of stop members in the closed position are arranged in a V-shape when looking at the tablet support surface in a vertical direction;
the cutting blade is disposed between the pair of stop members;
The V-shaped angle of the pair of stop members in the closed position is such that when a plurality of tablets are fed, when the first tablet is cut by the cutting blade, the second tablet is cut by the cutting blade. The angle is such that it does not touch the
a plurality of tablets detection unit that detects that a plurality of tablets are supplied to the pair of stop members in the closed position , and when the plurality of tablets detection unit determines that there are a plurality of tablets, the cutting blade 1. A tablet dividing device characterized in that the tablet is ejected without cutting the tablet . 2. The tablet splitting device of claim 1 , wherein the V-shaped angle of the pair of stop members in the closed position is greater than 60[deg.]. The multiple tablet detection unit is
a plurality of light emitting means arranged parallel or obliquely to the tablet feeding direction;
a light receiving means that is disposed opposite to the plurality of light emitting means with the tablet supplied to the pair of stop members in between, and receives light from the plurality of light emitting means;
If the light receiving means does not receive light even if the light emitting means located at a position away from the tablet passes through the center of the light receiving means and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tablet supplied to the pair of stop members, 3. The tablet dividing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determining means for determining that there is a plurality of tablets. The multiple tablet detection unit is
A light emitting means;
a plurality of light receiving means that face the light emitting means with the tablets supplied to the pair of stop members in between, are arranged parallel to or obliquely to the tablet feeding direction, and receive light from the light emitting means;
When the light emitting means emits light, the light receiving means located at a position away from the tablet from a tangent that passes through the center of the light emitting means and touches the outer peripheral surface of the tablet supplied to the pair of stop members does not receive light; 3. The tablet dividing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determining means for determining that there is a plurality of tablets. The multiple tablet detection unit is
tablet detection means for detecting tablets cut and discharged by the cutting blade;
ejected number counting means for counting the number of ejected tablets detected by the tablet detecting means;
3. The tablet dividing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determining means for determining that there is a plurality of tablets when the number of tablets discharged is three or more as counted by the discharge number counting means. 6. The tablet dividing device according to claim 1, further comprising a display section that displays an error when the plurality of tablets detecting section determines that there are a plurality of tablets.

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